Icelandic streetwear rockstars collaborate with Cintamani and IKEA

Iceland might be small but it sure is bursting with creatives. One proof of that is street wear brand INKLAW – who have announced collaborations with two big international companies last two weeks, IKEA and Cintamani.

The Cintamani collaboration is launching tomorrow with a clothing line named INKLAW X CINTAMANI. The collection consist of various pieces of outdoor clothing that have had a INKLAW makeover. The outcome is fresh and exciting and it is safe to say that it is not every day that an established outdoor brand and a hip-hop influenced streetwear brand collaborate. So, if you are currently located in Reykjavík we strongly advise you to check this out. INKLAW X CINTAMANI can be found at the Cintamani store in Bankastræti 7 and they are launching tomorrow at 17.00.

Photo/INKLAW

INKLAW was established in 2014 and focuses on creating minimalistic and effortless pieces that are unique and easily recognizable at the same time. The brand was started by friends Róbert and Guðjón at the tender age of 19. Feeling frustrated by the limited selection in streetwear in tiny Iceland they took matters into their own hands and taught themselves to sow via YouTube. Anton and Christopher joined the duo turning it into a fully-fledged quartet. With their design studio based downtown Reykjavík the boys keep producing eye catching and effortless pieces. The last we saw from them was their outstanding collection “The Statement” that premiered at Reykjavík Fashion Festival last March. Their fashion show caused quite a stir, grabbing local and global attention. And it was at Reykjavík Fashion Festival where the conversation about collaboration between INKLAW and Cintamani started.

INKLAW X IKEA
As stated above, the INKLAW boys also collaborated with the beloved Swedish furniture maker IKEA. And as you might have guessed the idea of the collaboration was kindled when fashion brand Balenciaga released a bag that looked quite similar to the famous blue IKEA bag. Everyone knows the blue Frakta, mazingly sturdy and comes in handy in all sorts of situations. So naturally, there was a lot of global attention and notoriety when the Balenciaga bag dropped. Marketing stunt or not… it definitely sparked people’s imagination and since the release of the bag in late April, many individuals and brands started remixing and making their own designs from the blue bag. INKLAW is one of those who got intrigued by the trend.

Spot the difference?

The brand sells their pieces on their online store and they have reached customers in over 60 countries and dressed some of the world’s biggest celebrities. Global pop star Justin Bieber has been seen sporting their pieces on multiple occasions, on and off stage. American electro house musician and DJ Steve Aoki is also a fan and so is model Coca Rocha. INKLAW has also proven popular with various football players and the list of renowned fans of the streetwear brand just keeps growing and growing.

The Canadian singer and songwriter hardly needs any introduction… here he is, strutting his stuff wearing INKLAW. Photo/INSTAGRAM

So, this surprising fashion moment of the Frakta IKEA bag grabbed attention all over, including the attention of Icelandic streetwear stars INKLAW. Seeming like a unlikely combo chief executive Anton Sigfússon says that collaborating with such a big company was what sparked the excitement (not to mention how different the product range is…). “We contacted the Icelandic branch and got a positive answer almost immediately. We then started putting down ideas and developing them. Then we just decided to go for it.” The outcome is among other things a jacket sown entirely out of the blue tote bag.

Niceland particularly likes the joggers and matching sweater. Imagine diving into a plate of Swedish meatballs at your local IKEA in that outfit. And to show the products in action (and in their natural environment) the boys took a trip to the store after hours capturing the essence of the collection in a video accessable in the player above.

It is safe to say that the future is bright for INKLAW and we are excited to watch what they get up to next!